The Drifters of Ambition
by angelologist
Summary: Months after Michonne saves Andrea from a walker, the two are now journeying together through the zombie apocalypse. Michonne begins to develop an inner struggle with her attraction toward Andrea. Andrea however, knows she has much to learn from her sword-wielding savior and how to survive in the world now. Fem-pairing Andrea/Michonne - The Walking Dead
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Had to write this due to my reaction during Season 3 Episode 1 that established the relationship between Michonne and Andrea from The Walking Dead. Rating this M for further chapters/language/and this is the zombie apocalypse after all. Fem pairing Andrea/Michonne.**

**Also, very excited to write Michonne since she is my favorite character in the television series as well as the comic book series.**

**The Drifters of Ambition**

Andrea didn't like much anymore, but she sure as hell hated mornings like this.

The sun was shimmering through the broken window nearby and the peaceful silence of a new day literally made her want to vomit. It was some sort of horrible, sick irony, this "lovely-day" thing the earth was playing at. How could a day seem so sweet, succulent, and soothing when there were flesh-eating undead cannibals roaming around, driven by the scent of human, living flesh?

Andrea rolled over on the mattress and pulled the blanket over her chilled shoulder. Her eyes were closed. There wasn't time to relish in the tranquility of the moment now. She couldn't afford it. _They_ couldn't afford it…

"I hate to interrupt your beauty sleep, but we really need to get going soon." Michonne's voice said calmly from nearby.

Andrea could tell that Michonne was sitting nearby, afraid to leave Andrea alone. Michonne had saved her ass a few months ago from being dinner to a walker and now seemed unequivocally determined to protect Andrea.

Andrea smiled and threw the blanket over her head.

"Come on Ma, five more minutes."

Michonne smiled softly as she sat atop a table. She pulled out her katana sword and inspected the blade. She eyed the curve of it, and scratched at something dried on the sword that didn't look like blood.

Michonne sighed, "We should get going soon. Even for a place as desolate as this, with that herd moving on through, it won't be long before they come here."

Andrea uncovered her head and sat up in dismay. She moaned softly as she stretched.

"Everything aches. Maybe I slept funny last night."

Michonne hopped down from the table and crouched near Andrea.

"What aches? Do you feel sick?" Michonne asked, as she grabbed a bag from nearby and began rifling through it.

Andrea smirked and collapsed back down onto the mattress.

"Just my body. My body just aches. Then again, we have been at it pretty hard for the past few days."

Michonne glanced at Andrea for a moment, meeting Andrea's almost translucent blue eyes before going back to the bag.

"I only have one asprin, but I'm sure I could find more. There's a small town not too far away. We could leave now and be there in a few hours."

Andrea nodded and pulled herself up from all that she had felt tranquil. Of course Michonne was right. And they would have to move sometime. If she was getting sick, perhaps they could find something much more secluded. She could recoup and get her energy back.

As Andrea helped pack up, she thought about how hated how Michonne made her feel as much as she was thankful for how Michonne made her feel.

She hated how the woman made her feel safe. Too safe. There was no measure of weakness allowed in this new world. Weakness is what got you killed. The moment you let your guard down was the moment you got attacked by a geek. It was the moment your guts would be torn into by some brainless walker. Some nights she contemplated deserting Michonne. Andrea had become so comfortable that she would drift off to sleep not a moment after Michonne said she'd keep watch.

Trust.

Trust was making her weak. Sure there had been trust with Rick and the group. But with all the Shane drama floating around and Dale confiscating her weapon out of fear of her "suicidal tendencies", she was still accustomed to look after herself.

But now, her sword-wielding savior had given her a sense of trust she hadn't felt in such a long time. And Andrea knew she could never desert Michonne just because she was afraid of being too trusting.

On the positive spectrum, Andrea had learned a lot from Michonne. Although Michonne never seemed keen on talking about her life before the apocalypse, there were always tiny little notions here and there that were wrapped up in small packaged stories. Michonne seemed more experienced to Andrea. And whether or not they'd stick together well into the future, Andrea knew there was a lot to learn from this woman.

Andrea stuffed the last of her belongings into her pack and glanced over at Michonne, who was going through some papers she had found in a drawer in a desk.

"You're a strong woman, Michonne. You know that?"

Michonne chuckled and began opening up more drawers, looking for something.

"What makes you say that? –Strong, muscled, black woman with a sword who saves your ass right before you're some geek's meal?"

"That and you have some pretty awesome dreads." Andrea quipped.

Andrea moved over toward the desk just as Michonne pulled a folded map from one of the drawers. She unfolded it and splayed it across the desk.

"I mean, you seem like a strong woman in general. Has nothing to do with race necessarily. Rather that, it just seems that you've gone through a lot. You have… experience. Or something that I clearly don't have."

Michonne paused from inspecting the map and turned toward Andrea.

"I just know I have to keep going. Keep moving. I can't stop. It's in my blood and it's in yours. We're alive for a reason. Not because of some religious prophecy or whatever bullshit that is, but because we have what it takes. And we have to prove that everyday. Our reward? Life."

"A miserable life." Andrea added.

Michonne shook her head, "But life still. In all of its misery, it's life."

Michonne held Andrea's gaze for a moment. Michonne felt her face grow warm as Andrea stared at her as if some great prophet had just spoken. When Andrea still had not looked away, Michonne collected the map, pocketed it and stood.

"We got to get going. Gingerville is not but 4 maybe 5 miles away. And if you're not feeling so hot, the sooner we leave, the better."

Michonne exited the room, urging Andrea to hurry.

Andrea smiled and stood, somewhat invigorated by this ambiguous pep talk. If Michonne could keep going, could be empowered by sheer thought, then maybe Andrea could too. And that was another positive to add to the list.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you for those that have tuned in! Just finished the second chapter! Hope you all enjoy. **

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**Chapter Two:**

They'd been walking through the woods for about an hour and a half when Andrea's stomach began to growl so loud, that she had begun to feel Michonne glancing at her from the side. Andrea knew Michonne wanted to tell her to eat, but all in all, they had nothing to eat.

Andrea was now caught between in the limbo of extremely hungry, and extremely nauseated. Every time her stomach groaned and growled, she put her hand against it as if it would stifle the noise.

"You know, we should probably try to find something to eat. You've already gotten run down, -my fault…"

Andrea stopped walking, as did Michonne in response.

"Excuse me, but what part of this is your fault?"

The chains of the two walkers that Michonne had taken with her, chimed as they clanged together, the only sound in the woods.

Michonne furrowed her eyebrows, clearly confused on why Andrea seemed upset when she was just prescribing that they get food soon. And clearly, it was her fault since she'd been adamant on a forced march so they could have the change to relax for a couple of days. It was her fault and her fault alone that Andrea had gotten run down.

"I kept you going too hard for too long when we should have rested. None of us can afford to get sick, ever." Michonne responded, a small bit of irritation lining her voice.

They continued walking again, this time in silence.

The trees swayed in the breeze. There was a chill in the air. The type of chill that told Georgia that winter was surely on it's way, whether they liked it or not.

Both women stepped lightly over fallen tree branched and sticks. Once in a while, there would be the sound of twigs breaking nearby, to which Michonne would respond by gripping her sword. Andrea would take her gun out of its holster, ready to fire if death's face presented itself.

There was a rule: 1-5 walkers and the sword would be enough to take them down. No need to use a gun with little precious ammo, and enough sound to attract any walker within a ten to fifteen mile radius.

It had been odd, not seeing too many walkers since they had left their last residence. They'd run into perhaps two on the way, which hadn't sensed their presence in the slightest, and made them particularly easy targets for Michonne's katana.

Andrea had begun to guess that it was perhaps the chilly weather that had slowed the walker's appetite, maybe made them sluggish. Of course they couldn't complain. But her body sure could.

Her throat had begun to ache. Her mind rationalized it for the chilly weather, but she knew she was coming down with something heinous.

A chilly breeze had begun to drift through the woods, and Andrea began to shiver. Immediately, she decided it would be best to distract herself. It was frustrating enough to be seen as some damsel in distress in front of such a strong and apparently confident woman, but to also be "sickly"… -She just needed a distraction.

"You date much?" She asked, so suddenly that Michonne seemed to jump slightly.

Michonne smirked and asked, "Recently?"

Andrea laughed softly and said, "No, I mean before the world went to shit. Were you seeing anyone?"

A beat past between them before Michonne glanced back at one of her walkers that followed obediently behind her.

"One with the dark jeans was my boyfriend. But things weren't so hot between us. Said I was too controlling, that I had him on a leash."

Andrea glanced back at the walker. She couldn't tell if he had been a handsome man, the level of decomposition mixed with Michonne's sword-handling skills had made him even more inhuman than he already was.

"And as you can see, I do have him on a leash."

The two women laughed before falling silence once more.

After several moments Michonne spoke, "What about you? You had a boyfriend?"

Andrea tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear and pulled the blanket more tightly around her.

"Well, you see I'm actually—"

The faint sound of groaning that was much louder and more menacing than Andrea's stomach was suddenly audible. Immediately, Michonne unsheathed her sword and told Andrea to stay down. She handed Andrea the chains to the two walkers and took off.

Nearby, three walkers stumbled over logs, all after a squirrel.

"I can help, you know!" Andrea whispered loudly.

Michonne ignored her and paced over to them quietly. It would be better to surprise them than for them to surprise her.

As Michonne neared the unsuspecting walkers, Andrea watched in dismay, always somewhat tense with fear, but calmed by the notion that Michonne was smart, swift, and always ready for the unexpected. –Which was fantastic because at that precise moment, Andrea sneezed so loudly, all of Atlanta had probably heard her.

The three walkers suddenly were uninterested in the squirrel that could easily outrun them and eyed Andrea.

Andrea stepped behind the two pet-walkers and sat down, apparently non-plussed that three bloodthirsty walkers were pacing toward her. One with one of its bones sticking through the skin, that made it walk more slowly than the others. One had an arm missing, and the other didn't have any eyes. Perhaps they had rotten out.

"Yeah, come and get me you son of a bitches…" Andrea called, her speech altered by her stuffed up nose.

"I eat shit like you for breakfast. Or rather… maybe, you eat shit like me for breakfast."

Just as the walkers were nearly ten feet away from Andrea, Michonne hacked off their heads in one swift blow.

Michonne stabbed each head through once. Normally she didn't care when they were just heads. They weren't hurting anything and would probably eventually "die", but their groans were extra annoying today.

After she had finished, she approached Andrea, who was still sitting on the ground.

"You know, when you egg them on like that, it kind of makes me nervous."

Andrea laughed, "Like they know what I'm saying. I know you'll save my ass in the end."

Michonne eyed Andrea and tried to stifle a small smile to no avail.

"Come on," Michonne said, extending a hand to the crumpled Andrea, "Let's get back to moving."

Andrea scoffed at Michonne, "I'm just shitting you, I don't always need your damn help you know. Somehow I made it a year or so without you looking after me."

Michonne said nothing, but kept her offer of help extended outward toward friend.

Andrea huffed before grabbing Michonne's hand.

The sudden drama of geeks, a few hours of walking, and the increasingly worse headcold made her suddenly lightheaded upon standing up. Andrea lost her footing and stumbled forward. Andrea fell onto Michonne, who quickly stabilized herself from Andrea's weight. They ended up in an awkward hug in which both women stared at each other for several seconds without words.

"Obviously my assumptions were right on you not feeling well. Can't even stand on your own two feet," Michonne interjected into the awkward silence. She put her hands on Andrea's shoulders as if it might stabilize her somehow.

Andrea turned abruptly and adjusted her blanket over her shoulders.

"We should get going. I just want to sleep in the near future."

When they had begun walking again, silence had fallen over the two women and the only sound that could be heard was the soft grunting and gurgling of the pet-walkers. From time to time, Michonne would steal a glance at Andrea, whose eyes remained downcast and far away from her.

Michonne felt something within her fall, far, far away from her only friend in this apocalyptic world. Boundaries would be drawn of course, as they are in any new friendship. What's allowed to be said and what isn't allowed to be said. A new friendship was all about finding out what was acceptable to talk about and what wasn't. Michonne wasn't even sure if Andrea was religious, where she had lived, if she had any siblings, what she did for work, or even if she had children.

But she knew that Andrea had a large determination to live. Even if she'd saved the woman several times, she'd seen that fight to live in her eyes. She'd seen it as Andrea glanced up at her from the ground after she had beheaded a walker that had almost eaten her a few months ago.

Andrea had a story, Michonne was sure of that. And as sure as she was of getting to Gingerville so they could find medicine and maybe rest for a few days, she was sure that she would find out that story.

There was a clearing ahead and Michonne raced ahead. Andrea followed slowly behind. Michonne turned, her face bright but somehow still stoic. If that was possible.

"You might want to see this," Michonne said, urging Andrea to walk more quickly.

Andrea trudged toward Michonne until they were side by side.

In the middle of a large field was a mansion, surrounded by fence on seemingly all sides.

It appeared to be an old Victorian and in somewhat good condition from first glance.

"Bet they didn't leave when things turned to hell." Michonne said.

Both women became somewhat excited by the probability of staying somewhere that once exterminated of walkers, could be a very nice place to stay for a while.

"What makes you think they didn't leave?"

"You think a bunch of rich folks are going to leave their mansion when the world turned to shit? From my experience since this all happened, normal people fled to more secure locations. The rich felt that they could buy time. Even in a world where money doesn't 'count' per se. Staying at home and dying with dignity is a much better way to die than begging for help."

Andrea smirked, "Pessimistic way to look at the world."

"I was a lawyer before," Michonne added, "I made a living understanding how to be pessimistic."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I apologize for taking so long for me to write the next chapter. This chapter is quite short but I'm working on the 4th chapter as you read the third and will be posting it probably within the day! **

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If you stopped to appreciate the morning that Georgia had whole-heartedly decided to portray during an early spring morning, it would not be disappointing. The leaves were not but buds on the trees. The air was crisp with a biting nip embedded somewhere down deep that urged goose bumps to rise over one's skin in haste.

Birds were chirping and beginning to make their early morning flights for food. And there was the brisk scent of mountain air that seemed to invigorate the lungs and ensnare the senses.

Michonne was propped up against a tree. She'd only slept for about half an hour. Andrea had insisted on letting Michonne sleep. But that had only lasted long enough for Michonne to just start dreaming, when Andrea began vomiting so loudly that Michonne jumped awake, sword unsheathed and ready to kill.

Sleep was something Michonne had learned to carry on without. Fall into the lovely hammock of rest and you could wind up waking to a walker sinking his teeth into your flesh. It wasn't worth it. She could survive on sparse hours of sleep. She was used to it.

Andrea lay nestled on the ground; it was the most peaceful Michonne had ever seen Andrea sleep. After vomiting and dry heaving for a good long while, Andrea had fallen into a deep slumber.

Michonne watched her sleep, as the breaking sun spilled onto Andrea's face.

Was there harm in still appreciating beauty? Was it weakness?

Michonne gripped the butt of her sword hard until it bit into her dry, cracked hand.

She shouldn't think like that. There was no beauty in this world anymore. Just survival.

Andrea began to stir, and stretched in the morning sunlight.

"Watching me sleep, huh?" She quipped, as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Making sure you don't stop breathing," Michonne scoffed, before standing and walking away.

Andrea watched her walk away; confused on what exactly she had said or done that had clearly offended her.

"You know," Andrea started, as they made their way down the hill toward the field where the old, large house sat.

"I think we should make a run into town for supplies. Medicine and food would be useful. If we could find a car, bring it back here, we could really set up shop."

Michonne said nothing.

"It might be nice. We could really have a chance here."

There was still no sound, except for the crunching of sticks and acorns beneath their feet.

Finally Michonne said, "This isn't permanent."

Andrea stopped walking, her face filled with exasperation.

"Are you really kidding me? This is a nice place. Look at it. It's a large house in a field. We could see walkers coming for miles around. Be prepared. Actually live somewhat peacefully for a while."

Michonne turned toward Andrea. Andrea's faced was flushed with fever, her forehead matted blond hair. Andrea's eyes were bloodshot and she was shivering.

Why had she let Andrea go this long without resting? If they kept going on like this, Andrea could die. Had she really been this irresponsible?

After several moments of silence, Michonne said, "We'll stay."


End file.
